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Which ancient Roman building inspired Christopher Wren’s design for the Sheldonian Theatre?
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Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren, detail of an oil painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1711; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Christopher Wren’s design for the Sheldonian Theatre was inspired by the ancient Theatre of Marcellus in Rome.1
While the building followed this classical form, Wren incorporated a roof featuring timber trusses of a novel design, effectively blending classical architectural principles with modern empirical engineering.1